Words are easy, like the wind. Faithful friends are hard to find. ~ William Shakespeare

Monday, February 6, 2012

The Baby Steps of Writing #6: Laying Down the Highlights

Starting
a novel can be intimidating. Finishing even more so. It is my hope that this
series will help other soon-to-be or wanna-be writers find a place to begin a
novel and better yet, empower them to finish. Here you will find all the advice
I wish someone would have given me when I first started writing fiction.

Today is the day!
For those of you who like discovering your story as you go (pantsters), this is
the last step you should take in preparing a plot for your novel. Granted, some
of you might think this is too much structure, but I think this format still leaves
a lot of room for surprises. There are many formats out there, but I like this
one because it highlights each major point of your story:

Inciting incident
(II)

This incident (usually a full scene) should grip your reader
and not let them go. The general rule of this scene is an eruption in your
character’s normal life. We see action or trouble brewing. We see how the
character responds to the trouble as they are now, before they change
throughout the story. This scene doesn’t have to be a full-on explosion, but it
should have undertones or overtones of unease in the character’s regular world.
Also, the sooner you start your inciting incident, the more exciting your story
will be. And the sooner you will hook the reader in.

First Plot Point (PP1)

The difference
between the first plot point (PP1) and the inciting incident (II) is sometimes
confusing. The PP1 has everything to do with the plot while the II doesn’t
necessarily have to be. I could go on and on about PP1s, but I’ll just say that
they are the point where the main character chooses
to move forward from what their world once was to what it has become. This can
be a huge and dramatic change or a quieter, “okay, I’m going to do this”. In a
typical hero’s quest story, the hero’s main world has been turned upside down.
In the first novel I ever wrote, the main character climbs a ridge and looks
down either side of the ridge: the direction she is going and the direction she
has been. She dithers about pushing forward or going back. (Cliché, I know.)
But I tell you this because at the time I wrote the scene, I didn’t know I was
putting in a classic PP1 because I didn’t know what a PP1 was. I did it
instinctively. Some of you might find you have been doing the same thing:
writing classic elements into your story with out consciously putting them in
there. Once you are aware of the elements, the chances of them being clean and
purposeful (vs. sloppy and over-the-top like mine was) are better.

Second Plot Point (PP2)

Now that your character has made the decision to move
forward, he is going to have some growing pains. Growing pains mean hard things
are in the future. Hard things mean conflict, which makes a story a story. As
the first big obstacle, PP2 escalates the conflict between the hero and the
villain, the hero and himself, or the hero and their unrequited love. Or all
three. Each story is unique enough that you’ll need to find where the first big
obstacle is and how it’s going to kick your story into a higher gear.

Middle
Point (MP)

When I think of
the middle, I think of chucking on my backpack and preparing to hoof it up a
mountain. It is the gear up for the intensity about to come at the end. The
middle point is where you hinge the beginning to the end and sometimes it can
be the hardest part to write. Like a clothes line, the story may slouch right
there in the middle. It happens to even great authors. The best way to evaluate
your middle point is to see if it feels like a “deep breath before the plunge,”
as Gandalf would say. (Yeah, I know I’m a nerd.)

Third Plot Point (PP3)

This is the
all-is-lost scene. Here is the point where we wonder how in the world the
character is going to recover from the blow you have just given him. The
character is brought lower than low. Readers need to feel a sense of
hopelessness to some degree. It will make the ending all the more satisfying.

Circle the Wagons
(CTW)

As soon as the
character limps away from the all-is-lost scene, it’s time to circle the wagons
and start seeing with new eyes. The character develops a new desire to conquer
and they have a new approach to see it through. Hang on to your hats because
now the character is planning and things are going to get intense.

Climax A (XA)

Now it’s time to
light the fuse. Some event needs to ignite the big blow coming between the character
and their adversary (whether internal or external).

Climax B (XB)

Things are about
to explode and you need to build up the suspense so that the reader won’t put
the book down and go to bed. The fuse it lit and it’s burning down the wire.

Climax C (XC)

Kaboom! The biggest, most intense event of the book needs to occur here. The
dynamite explodes and most of the time, you know what the event will be before
you even sit down to write. However, before you write it, ask yourself, “What
is the worst, most dramatic thing that can happen to the character(s) here?”
and “What biggest obstacle can he/she conquer?” Then evaluate if you have done
this scene the justice it deserves.

Denouement

The ride has been
fun, but now give the reader a short breather. This is the section where Dumbledore
explains some things to Harry. Here is where all the loose ends are tied up and
we understand things we did not before.

Resolution

End the story.
Nicely. Swiftly. Satisfyingly. A good ending is the deal maker if the reader is
going to tell their friends about your book or not. There really is nothing
else to say except that if the end satisfies you, hopefully it will satisfy
others. It may be happy or it may be bittersweet, but it should always end hopeful
in some way. Get a second reader and see if they agree with your satisfaction.

So what do you
think? Is this a helpful way to think of the major elements of your book?

Last weekend I
went to a Young Adult writer’s workshop in Phoenix. It was wonderful to be there in the
presence of so many authors I admire. One thing I heard from many of them was
that they used to be fond of just sitting down and writing a book. Now they
have learned the value of preparation, whether in outline form or in a 40 page
or so synopsis. I am learning this too. And
oh, man! How I wish I would have done more outlining in the book I’m revising
now because I’m so slow at revisions. When I don’t plan well, I find that I
have to rewrite more. That is okay for some people but I struggle with revision
because I am a perfectionist. Plus I want to write so many books that I just
want to get them out into the world.

So, if you want to
outline more, stay tuned for scene by scene outlining and other TBA baby steps
of writing. Happy Monday!

P. S. If you need
more help seeing how these elements fit into your book specifically, I would be
happy to help you. Just email me. My address is on the side. Over there. ------------------->

This is great, Jackee - thanks for sharing this! I'm almost a compulsive outliner, but with my current wip, I'm letting it go different places if that's where it wants to go. It's a little nerve-wracking at times, but I thinks it's a much stronger story, too. Great to have the structure in place, though!

This is a well done post. I have a great challenge now because I'm writing about sisters. They're all important and they all need their own all of these. Keeping track has proved to be a challenge, especially since I'm a panster. One I write the rest of the manuscript, I'm going to look back and make sure I've hit all the right criteria. Sometimes their plot points will be the same, which helps.

I rarely write anything down before I start to write (maybe a couple of bullet points on personalities, setting). But I do a bit of this thinking in my head for a week or more before I write. I don't know if I'd ever write it out, but I think I'll use a copy of your steps and keep it handy while I'm writing. It should keep me on track as I go!

Hi, Margo! I cut the Climax event into an A, B, and C categories just to emphasize the tension buildup and the necessary detail that should be given to pacing. Really, it's the same event. It just is such an important event I need reminding of its escalation. Good question! I should have been clearer. :o)

You make such a valid point, describing the difference between inciting incident and plot point 1. It is so true, and a fact I didn't understand when I first started writing.

I think I'm where you are; I've recently learned the value of prep work before starting a novel. I have two MG manuscripts half written and one YA. After I finish edits on my current YA, I'm going to take all three of those and re-brainstorm, outlining and/or writing an in-depth synopsis.